Declan Fitzgibbon Player Profile

Name: Declan Fitzgibbon

Date of Birth: 30-10-1981

Occupation: Customer Service in Ulster Bank

Favourite Position(s)Football: Full ForwardHurling: Goalkeeper

Honours: Minor Hurling North Cork with Dr Crokes, Minor hurling North Cork and County with Mill Rovers, All Ireland College Freshers Championship with CIT, North Cork Junior Championship 1997, Div 2 hurling league and a couple of O Leary cup medals as well with SBM

Highlight of your GAA career to date? Beating Kildorrery in the 1999 Minor N C below in Ballyhooly there was a lot of local pride at stake that day

Favourite thing about our club? The buzz of going training especially the week before a big championship match

Do you remember your first game for Shanballymore? It was a challenge match against Skehenarinky in Ballyporeen im not sure if it was 97 or 98 though all i can remember is that Tom Mannix and Noel Roche were both missing so i had to go in goals

Other interests outside of the GAA? Cycling, Horse Racing, American Football, Reading

Which sports person would you most like to meet? Tony McCoy

Favourite sporting memory? Being at Cheltenham when Kauto Star won his first Gold Cup the atmosphere was unbelievable it helped that id backed him too

A sporting event you would most like to attend? A Superbowl with the New York Jets playing in it or else the last round of the Masters at Augusta

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? To have my starting position in goals about 3 feet from the goal line and and not on the line itself it makes a big difference

What advice would you give to younger players? Make sure your able to strike off both sides equally well it makes life a lot easier

You may not know this but “I’m good at”? I can bake a fairly good carrott cake

Favourite Film? Lord Of The Rings

Favourite TV show? Criminal Minds

Favourite book? Mike Tysons Autobiography

Toughest opponent at training? Would have to be either Paul Burke or Johnny Enright, Paul because its almost impossible to tell where hel put the ball iv lost count of the number of times hes fooled me with a little flick into the back of the net when i’m expecting a piledriver of a shot and Johnny because he has the most powerful shot of any fella iv ever played with or against

Growing up my favourite hurler was? Tony Sullivan

Growing up my favourite footballer was? Ciaran McDonald

If there was one thing you would change about the GAA, what would it be? Ticket prices for the All ireland finals should be reduced to a max of €50

If you owned a race horse what would you call it? Fitzs Flyer

In ten years time I hope to be? Happily retired and still going to games

And finally who’s the longest in the shower? Everyone else seems to be saying Jamie so ill stick with that too